Kestrel Elite Compass - WTF

[LawnMM]

Tagging you in here @Kestrel Ballistics

So I'm trying to figure this out. I set direction of fire yesterday, it reads 0 degrees, pretty much dead nuts due north.

I then use the capture wind feature for the average and high wind speeds and direction.

That's where it gets wonky. Captures speed, reads the angle as 5:30. Problem is, winds coming from 12:30.

I see this A LOT. The wind angle is constantly wrong. I manually move it to the correct angle. I've recalibrated the compass, updated the firmware, etc.

Talked with friends that know what they're doing, same thing. So maybe it's a software glitch?

Just putting it out there, this happens all the time and if the user isn't paying attention it's going to produce an incorrect wind call.

 

[Kestrel Ballistics]

Lets start with a compass check. When you have tgt highlighted and press the acquire button and turn 360 degrees do you get accurate movement on he compass?
Then highlight Wind and press acquire button and see if you get accurate movements of the clock location.

 

[_Windrider_]

im just asking so don’t shoot the messenger......you are facing the wind with the back of the kestrel into the wind right?

 

[LawnMM]

Trying it in the back yard seems fine ??‍ I'll try and take some notes next time I see it but I run into this with semi-frequent regularity.

I suppose at a match or something it could be distraction/user error but I'm kinda surprised to see it at all.

Could try a reset too I suppose.

Edited to add, yes always point the back of the unit into the wind when capturing speed/direction

 

[Kestrel Ballistics]

Be sure to look out for anything magnetic, even small if close to the Kestrel. That will mess up readings.

 

[LawnMM]

Any other sources of interference? Corrugated steel roof over firing line kinda thing? It's not magnetic but maybe it's messing with the compass reading another way?

 

[Kestrel Ballistics]

I shoot under a corrugated steel roof and don't see any problems, however, I would never calibrate compass there, need to be in open space away from large metal objects. as for what could cause a problem, so far the smallest items I have seen would be the magnet on some binocular cases and the needle of a magnetic compass are enough, if close, to change a reading.

 

[LawnMM]

I may have calibrated under the steel roof last time. I'll keep that in mind for the future.

Tried it while I was out today and it seemed to get the angles correct so maybe it was just a bad calibration throwing things off.

 

[LawnMM]

I definitely double check the wind angle and make sure it jives with my perception of the angle.

 

[Rutter]

I’ve had this problem as well. I was in the middle of a field. I calibrate the compass. Tap red button for shot direction, then turn for wind direction and wind speed. Wind degree is totally off. Recalibrate same stupid issue. I’m sick of having to recalibrate kestrel every time I turn it on. For the money this 5700 elite with link should function flawlessly. I’ve had many people look at this. Was at a small shoot this last weekend finally through it in the bag. Help would be appreciated. One reputable shooter said he wouldn’t own one simply because of the issues. I’m starting to agree. Sad to say I ran BallisticsARC last year all year very little to no issues. It cost 30$ for the lifetime app I think. Paid 20 times this for a kestrel and it’s paying me back with 30 times the headache. I bought this cause I throughly this was a premier item.

 

[smokeon]

Same issues here ...

 

[Raufoss]

I always keep a compass with me to double check when in doubt but I don't use the compass function anymore because of the issue. I imput all the direction information manually.

 

[I SHOOT]

I shoot under a corrugated steel roof and don't see any problems, however, I would never calibrate compass there, need to be in open space away from large metal objects. as for what could cause a problem, so far the smallest items I have seen would be the magnet on some binocular cases and the needle of a magnetic compass are enough, if close, to change a reading.

How close is to close to a magnet?
How often should you have to recalibrate the compass(each time you shoot or at different locations)

 

[rustyinbend]

Wow ... interesting ... I have a Kestrel 5700 Elite, and it's always spot-on for compass direction, target, wind, and everything else. I wonder if this is a problem just in the Hornady version.

 

[Rutter]

Mine is not the hornady version. I checked For updates last night updated it. Then went out side and recalibrated it. Guess what. The damn thing was still off. Said my shot direction was 33 degrees it was actually closer to 90 then my wind was completely off saying it was 180 when it was closer to 320. I did check to see if itwas lined up with true north and it is not. It is off 180 degrees. Saying south is north and north is south. Went inside to se
If I could manually fix this couldn’t find anything. So help would e appreciated. And yes I was hold
It correctly. This thing sucks.

 

[rustyinbend]

Sounds like you're doing all the right things ... call Kestrel ... get a new one. Yours appears to be broken.

 

[Olen_4504]

my buddy and i were experiencing this in TX for the 2 day match a couple weeks ago.

no matter what we did - under pavillion, wide open, calibrated over and over. wind direction wouldn't match up.



now that i think about it - if you don't update your latitude correctly - would that throw off your calibration and everything?

maybe that's why ours didn't work when we flew to TX?

just spit balling ideas. i could be way wrong. i don't fully understand the innerworkings of it all




however - our range session on saturday - no issues. target direction set and wind direction was spot on. so i don't think our kestrels are broke lol

 

[rustyinbend]

L attitude impacts Coriolis calculations and would only have a few degrees of impact on cardinal direction ... unless it changed by 20-degrees or more, or if you were at very high (or low) arctic circle type latitudes. Good to keep it updated, but not likely it's causing this huge directional impact ... IMHO.

 

[Olen_4504]

L attitude impacts Coriolis calculations and would only have a few degrees of impact on cardinal direction ... unless it changed by 20-degrees or more, or if you were at very high (or low) arctic circle type latitudes. Good to keep it updated, but not likely it's causing this huge directional impact ... IMHO.

thanks. i figured that was the case.

 

[rustyinbend]

thanks. i figured that was the case.

Those years of navigating C130's in the Marine Corps ... finally had a practical civilian application. It only took 28 years. LOL

 

[ScottDWallace]

I have experienced similar with my 5700 as well.

 

[_Windrider_]

I have never had any issue in the 6 years I’ve been using kestrels.

 

[ScottDWallace]

@Kestrel Ballistics got any tricks I should try? This is right after a fresh calibration. Identical results. v1.36

 

[davere]

I have seen exact behavior being described here, as well. Including after calibrating, etc. To the point that my workflow involves switching to weather mode - gathering wind data there - and then switching back to ballistics mode and entering my wind values manually (direction, W1 speed, W2 speed). @ScottDWallace video above summarizes the problem nicely.

That said, I'm still running 1.27. I just grabbed my Kestrel, and reproduced the problem, but noticed that the compass was basically always reading between 60 and 135 degrees, regardless of where it was pointed. I recalibrated, and now it seems to be working correctly base don a quick test. We'll see how long that lasts...

 

[Kestrel Ballistics]

@Kestrel Ballistics got any tricks I should try? This is right after a fresh calibration. Identical results. v1.36

That appears to be the correct wind heading. You had 061 ( maybe 69, had trouble seeing it) for target heading. Then you took a wind reading from the same direction, except you moved the kestrel 1 degree left while holding it. Target is 61 or 69 degrees and wind is relative to the target heading so instead of 0 degree difference (same target and same wind direction), you were 1 degree left which means the compass had to go around 359 degrees to get to that 1 degree left of zero.

Remember Wind direction is always relative to where the target is as the target becomes 0 regardless of where it is on the compass and wind is the degrees away from it starting with zero and moving clockwise. Most people change wind to a clock reading instead of compass heading as it makes it easier to understand for example if you shoot East and the wind is from the East you have a target DOF of 90 and a wind of 0 or 12 o'clock. IF the wind changes and comes from the south you will get a 90 degree wind or 3 o'clock wind, over your right shoulder. It will not show up as 180 degrees.

 

[ScottDWallace]

Remember Wind direction is always relative to where the target is as the target becomes 0 regardless of where it is on the compass and wind is the degrees away from it starting with zero and moving clockwise. Most people change wind to a clock reading instead of compass heading as it makes it easier to understand for example if you shoot East and the wind is from the East you have a target DOF of 90 and a wind of 0 or 12 o'clock. IF the wind changes and comes from the south you will get a 90 degree wind or 3 o'clock wind, over your right shoulder. It will not show up as 180 degrees.

Honestly, I never knew that or even thought that is the way it could be. As a pilot, we deal with wind in absolutes and do the relative math in our heads. I appreciate the quick reply and solid explanation!

 

[Rutter]

Thank you all at the kestrel help line and on here for your support. I talked with you the other day. We walked through all the settings did some resets, did something with the battery out. Those seemed to fix my issues. Thank you all so much. Went to the range today had a 10 /12 mph wind. It gave me the correct calls. Had first round impacts clear out to 1000 yards. Very pleased.

 

[smokeon]

Thank you all at the kestrel help line and on here for your support. I talked with you the other day. We walked through all the settings did some resets, did something with the battery out. Those seemed to fix my issues. Thank you all so much. Went to the range today had a 10 /12 mph wind. It gave me the correct calls. Had first round impacts clear out to 1000 yards. Very pleased.

Would you mind sharing the cliff notes in what resets you did that helped the problem...?
Hopefully that'll help some of the rest of us that are still struggling with these issues...
Thanks in advance.

 

[Rutter]

The rest that they had me do was take the battery out, hold the power button down for 20 seconds. Replace the battery then do the three turns 6 seconds a turn. Do not store in your pickup or in your reloading bench if metal. Also not near any backup battery pack. They told me that it needs to stay away from large metal objects and large chunks of metal. I asked how that is possible when the average match day a person carries 125-150 pieces of ammo. That in itself is a large chunk. Kinda hard to keep in your pack with those restrictions. This they had no answer for. Also they had me turn everything on, head wind spin drift, crosswind, Coriolis, also use the bullet library. Then use the 85% drop range truing after everything is turned back on.

 

[tadawson]

Most ammo is brass and lead, so non magnetic. Don't shoot the cheap steel shit, and ammo should not be a problem . . .

 

[Rutter]

Most ammo is brass and lead, so non magnetic. Don't shoot the cheap steel shit, and ammo should not be a problem . . .

That is true. Very good point.